Last year, many farmers didn't start cutting alfalfa until around July 1st because of severe drought conditions. This year, the harvest started up to a week earlier than that, the typical time for the season to begin.

University of Wyoming Extension educator Ron Cunningham says that reports on the yield of this year's crop are mixed so far.

However much they produce, farmers will benefit from a historically high prices. Large bales of alfalfa are selling for $180 to $200 per ton as of last week.

This year's earlier first cutting could provide time for more alfalfa to grow.